Kapil Sharma defends Navjot Singh Sidhu in Pulwama controversy: Banning someone can never be a solution

Navjot Singh Sidhu, former cricketer, politician and television personality, attracted negative press following his statement on the Pulwama terror attacks when he stated that no individual nation could be held responsible for such heinous acts and that terrorism did not have any religion.

Amidst immense backlash and social media pressure to #boycottsidhu, Sony TV reportedly asked Sidhu to leave The Kapil Sharma Show, a comedy show that Sidhu has been associated with for a while. Folllowing Sidhu's statements, the hashtag of #BoycottKapilSharma has been featuring in Twitter's top trending hashtags. Kapil Sharma, the host of the show, recently spoke on the issue.

Sharma commented that using trending hashtags like #boycottsidhu or #boycottkapilsharmashow helps no one, and that such unnecessary press diverts youth from the main issue at hand. Kapil also told the media that Sidhu's absence from the show for two episodes, where he was replaced by Archana Puran Singh was owing to 'prior commitments'.

Talking about the Pulwama attacks, Kapil mentioned that he was in complete support of the government. "But we need a permanent solution," added the comedian. "The cowardly act in Pulwama that killed our soldiers should not be forgotten and the culprits should be punished," Times Now quoted Kapil as saying.

Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed after suicide bombings took place in the Pulwama dictrict of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan-based terrorism outfit Jaish-E-Mohammed has taken responsibility of the attacks.